Dial transmitter with removable number plate and means for adjusting the main spring



Aprll 11, 1950 R. P. ARTHUR 2,503,538

DIAL TRANSMITTER WITH REMOVABLE NUMBER PLATE AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE MAIN SPRING Filed April 1, v1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

RICHARD P. ARTHUR A BY ATTORNEY April ll, 1950 R. P. ARTHUR 2,503,538

DIAL TRANSMITTER WITH REMOVABLE NUMBER PLATE AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE MAIN SPRING Filed April l, 1947 -3 Sheets-Sheet 2 50 kwaal-f- INVENTORZ ATTORNEY April 1l 1.950 R. P. ARTHUR DIAL TRANSMITTER WITH REMovABLE NUMBER PLATE AND MEANS EoR ADJusTING TRE MAIN SPRING Filed April 1, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 RICHARD P. ARTHUR ATTORNEY Patented pr. 1'1", V1975() DIAL TnANsMrT'rnn man. I,unsclo-vnr.u."4

NUMBER ,r1-.ATE- AND MEANS Foa JUSTIN@ THE; MAIN SPRING R'icharoll B. Arthur., Des Plaines, Ill., assigner; tof. liellagg- Switchboard and; Supply Compa-nm, Chicago, Ill-5. aoorporation of Illinois implicationd April 1,1947;4 Serial-,Noi '738;646-5 iiVv Claims.. (Cl. 13197-90, )lI

reliable arrangement. for. dellachalolyV securing a,

card holdertathei frontof the` dial..

further object:- is; to; provide a simple and re-r liable. arrangement. for tightening; or. loosening thefman. spring;`

A furtherr- Objectis; to provide the governor shaitwithl` a. worm. gear.' arrangement which; may be. economically produced,I

,Amotlrrer object is tofprovide the improved call,- ingydevice with apostivestop. arrangement for 'Stopping then-main gear assembly atits normal position and, ai?v its extren-ie off-normal position.,

Accordingto one featureof the invention, the improved dial calling; device is provided with a; card holder having integralv portions engagingr the under side,v ot a, bezel spring which is secured to.- the main*` sham, ther` card holder being sturdyA to permit-...it to be` turned an appropriato amount. to-.be removedi orseciiredy to the front of.v

theel-iai.

According toy anothery feature, a so-called springA retainer secured to` the rear bearing of vthe main. shaft may be turned to increase or decreasethe, tensiony the main spring,I and may be locked by a. straddle. member engaging marginalfnotches provided in the spring retainer.

According to another feature,l the governor shaft is provided with a rolled spiral indentation iny the` nature of a,y thread or groove having the desired pitch.,l and a. preformed spiral or wire is threaded onto theggroove in the shaft to provide the desired Wormgear.-

According to. another feature of the invention, theim-provecl dial calling device is provided with maingear assembly having extended. stoparrn engaging portions, extending from the cuplike housing, to control the extent of the movement of the main gear, and a raised portion actingas a cam to control the off-normal springs.

Other. objects and features of the invention will appear as the description progresses.

The accompanying drawings, comprising Figs.

I. to 11, show views of the improved dial calling device embodyngfthe invention.

Figs. 1 and 2 .are respectively a front View and a rear view of the calling device.

Fig. 3 is` a sectional View taken along line 3-.-3 of Fig. 1 with certain parts broken away.

Fig. 41 isa iiurther'rear' view.Y with certain parts; broken away. 'I Fig.. 5 isan. enlargedsectional View. taken along line 5&5. oi Fig; 1, showing,L how thefcard. holder." isseeured. Eig. 6 isv a. View.. partly in section, taken. along-7. line lwzofFig. 4. Eig: '7..is. avi'ew, partlydn. section, taken.` along line` of Eig. 2. v

Fig. 8y is a .View of the device, as seen from ther left, in Fig.. 2; with certain4 parts `broken, away.

Eig. 9 isangenlargediview othe governor` shaft. with its` spiral; spring, nartly.J assembled.

dii-e2.. 1i) is a .side View o i the improved callingl device installed in,l a, telephone ,deskf stand'. frag. mentarildf shown in; Section.,

Fia. 1:1 an exploded rear. View showing: 1.1.1; nersnootivo the.. Separate. Darts; 51 to. 'D compris-.f the oard-aoldor assomioly; together with bezet Serina I2. for deta.oh-alomr se-..-ine it. to. the. dial..

.es shown Fig.. L. the Qontrol. portion` oi the improvedoalliue device is; the. dial l.. which. eroi/idool with doser holes. 2: beneath; which los a nunca-'a1 ring 3 illustrated as having; numero-.1s l to t. and t. tlfleneon.` The. dial may be rotated:

clockwise br placing; a'ineer in the desired descr:

hole 2f and moving thediai around until. thou ser engages. dieser. stop 4.. When. released., dial, t erotoods oontroolookwise under power. stored. Seri-ue St to its illustrated. normal, position.. een: erating on its. return movement o number offm: pulses depend-ing upon which finger hole was used.,

As seen best in Fiss-- l.. 3., and. 6 to 8., the dial, i is mounted ou the front or hub portion 2 I,y oi the. main shaft l1., andlield therev by screw i4.. Screw it, which is countersunk into clamping washerlt, also retains bezoI spring i2.: which retains Card holder 5, along with transparent cardprof. toeter` e. and instruction card l.

As seen in Figs. l. 3, 10`J and, 1,1, the card hold-A d of a generally circularl shape having, its po: ripneral portions turned. down. This downward. extending portion is provided with` two locating tabs id andan additional tot 8, to position tho instruction oord. l when received within periph. eral notch lo. The top. ring portion is provided with tvvo inter-marginal notches 9 which coop@ crate in turning the holder incidental toseouring it to. the front of dial. l. With transparent Card. protettori? oud instruction card l in. place Withf in the card holder (see Fiss 1. and, 3). the card. holder is. placed in position within the Qontrol recessie dial l and turned until its locating, tots lapass under the concerned outwardly inclined portions I6 and snap into position under portions I5 of bezel spring I2. Bezel spring I2 has its outer edges flared upwardly at portion I6 to provide inclined underlying cam surfaces which cooperate in turning holder 5 to its illustrated normal position. The removal of the card holder is readily accomplished by turning it until tabs I6 clear the ared edges I6 of spring I2.

As shown best in Figs. 3, and 6 to 8, the front or hub portion 2| of main shaft I1 is mounted in a bearing provided centrally of cup-like housing 22. A shoulder 2U on shaft I1 restricts its forward movement. Attached to the rear of housing 22 are four mounting lugs 23 which may be secured to the housing as by riveting or stakmg.

As shown best in Fig. '7, a rear centrally located main bearing 53 is mounted in'bearing bracket 34 which is secured to the rear of cup-like housing 22 by screws 31 and 38. Screw 31 also secures numeral ring 3 and finger stop 4 to the front of housing 22.

The main gear assembly, consisting of a main drive gear 25 (Figs. 4, 6 to 8) and cam disc 21, has a central opening to receive the main shaft I1 which has a flat portion I9 thereon, as seen in Fig. 4. This enables the main gear 25 and cam disc 21 which have similarly shaped openings therein, to be keyed to the main shaft and permanently secured thereto as by staking or riveting over. The main shaft I1 has a reduced end portion I8 which is received by the central opening in main bearing 53. The shoulder 93 on shaft I1 abuts the spring retainer 54 which is secured to bearing 53, as seen in Fig. 7.

The forward end of hub portion 2I has a flat portion 94 thereon, as seen in Fig. 1, thus enabling dial I and bezel spring I2 to be locked or keyed to the main shaft by being provided with a central opening of corresponding non-circular shape.

The main drive gear 25 is provided with a recess or counterbore 95 within which cam disc 21 lies. A peripheral portion 26 of the gear 25 is cut away to permit a radial stop arm 36 formed integrally with the cam disc V21 to extend therethrough, as shown best' in Figs. 44 and 6. Cam disc 21 is also provided with a shear-formed tab 29 forholding the base end32 of main spring 3I against rotation about the main shaft I1, and a peripheral sidedeformation 28 near the base of the stop arm 36 which acts as a cam to control the off-normal springs 42. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, cup-like housing 22 is provided with two integrally formed stop portions 24 which extend inwardly from the wall portion thereof to control the extent of the rotational movement of the main drive gear 25. The engagement of radial stop arm 36, with one or the other of stops 24, acts to limit rotation of gear 25 in either direction. In Fig. 4, the main gear assembly is shown in its normal position and movement of dial I in a clockwise direction (as'seen in Fig. 1) to its extreme position, causes main gear 25 together with its attached parts to be rotated contraclock- Wise (as seen in Fig. 4) until stop arm 36 engages stop portion 24. Upon the release of dial I, it is restored to its illustrated normal position by power stored in spring 3l.

Fixed with the main bearing 53 is a washer-like member 54 which has two shear-formed peripheral portions 55, one of which is used for holding the upper end 33 of main spring 3l against rotation about the main shaft. The peripheral notches 58 in member 54 are adapted to receive side members 51 of a U-shaped straddle member 56 to lock the main bearing 53 and member 54, which retains the upper end 33 of main spring 3l to bracket member 34. Suitable openings are provided in bracket 34 and straddle member 56 to receive bearing 53, and after being assembled,

the top portion of bearing 53 may be staked or riveted over (Fig. '1) to prevent withdrawal. The openings in bracket 34 and member 56 are such as to allow bearing 53 to be turned to tighten 0r loosen the main spring. The top portion of bearing 53 is provided with a slot, so an ordinary screw driver may be used to turn it. To tighten main spring 3|, bearing 53 is turned clockwise, as seen in Fig. 2, and locked by straddle member 56 when the desired spring tension is attained. To loosen the main spring, bearing 53 is turned clockwise until side members 51 unlatch member 54, then raising straddle member 56 and allowing the bearing assembly to turn contraclockwise until the desired spring tension is attained, whereupon member 56 will be 'returned to its locking position,

The main drive gear 25, when rotated, turns the impulse pinion gear 63, attached to pulsecam shaft 60 (Figs. 4 and 1). Shaft 60 carries the worm-drive gear bearing 55, non-metallic worm-drive gear 66 (which is secured to bearing 65 as by riveting), ratchet 61, pulse cam 69, and breaker bearing 10, of which pinion gear 63 and ratchet 61 are secured to shaft 60. The pulsecam shaft 60 is pivoted at one end in bracket 34 and at the other end in housing 22. As seen in Fig. 7, pinion gear 63 is provided with a cylindrical portion 96, and worm-drive gear bearing 65 is provided with a similar cylindrical portion 91. Cylindrical portions 96 and 91 are surrounded by a clutch spring 64 which permits the wormdrive gear bearing 65 and its attached non-metallic worm-drive gear 66 to remain stationary on the forward movement of the dial I, but rotate on the restoration of the dial. Attached to pulse cam 69 is a breaker bearing 10 and two ratchet pawls 68 and 68. The top ratchet pawl 68 restrains the pulse cam 69 from rotating on the forward movement of the dial I, by engaging openings 35 (Fig. 2) of bracket 34 while the lower pawl 63 engages ratchet 61 (which is secured to the shaft) upon the start of the dial I to normal. Pawls 6B and 68 may be made of relatively thin spring material. The pulse cam 69 normally stands in a position, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, with respect to impulse contact springs 4I controlled thereby. The free end of the pair of contact springs 4I (seen in edge view in Fig. 8) is normally opposite one of three cutaway portions of cam 69. The impulse contacts can thus be momentarily separated by one or another of the three lobes of the cam 69 by onethird rotation of the pulse-cam shaft.

` The off-normal springs 42, seen in edge view in Fig. 8, are mounted in the same stackup with impulse springs 4I. The impulse vsprings and olf-normal springs may be connected in multiple with each other by suitable wiring between side terminals 49 (Fig. 2). The purpose of the offnormal springs 42 is to enable the last impulse of a train generated at impulse springs 4I to be rendered ineffective by shunting the springs 4I under control of cam 28. Another purpose of the off-normal springs is to short circuit the talking apparatus and its associated telephone set (not shown) during the time impulses are being sent to eliminate unduenoise in the receiver. Oifnormal springs 42 are held in their illustrated normal position (Fig. 8) by pressure of cam -poressere@ asuitinal inter'lspnngfstuaf 44;.

Stackup' 46 is provided withfscrew-f' terminals 48? for' externalI connections from i the improved dialf callingdevice'. l i A -A'sbestshown'in Figs. 6 vand 7 (see also Figsi 1` to'14)`,thel main spring 3| furnishes'the motive power for returning the dial and related mechl anislnt'o normal positionand to generatie'lthe de-v sir'edtrain of impulsesdur-ing the return move--4 firent.`Y The main spring-131-Vv surrounds thelportione of shaft` il' betweencamdisc 2T and` spring? retainer 54. Cam disc 21- is provided'With a'sliear-` formed tab 29 which holds the"l lower end.- 32 of mainfspring'ti againstrrotation about the'main shaft |11. The upper end 33 of spring 3| being held by a shear-formed portion 55 of washerf lihemember '54, as previously stated.

The'speed of the return movement is limited by a' governor of the typeco'nsisting of weighted portions'I 8i?v rigidly secured t0 the ends of the armsof a U-shaped'sprin'g member 18 which is" secured to' a suitableI hub" 19 fixed to' shaft-13; The shaft-'I3 is pivoted at one'end in a cup-like screw 85, which is threaded int'o an' extending portion 46 extending laterally from bracket` 34- and is secured by lock-nut 86; The other endof shaft 13' is pivoted in aV cup-like housing 8| whichy is secured to aportion 41 extending from bracket 34I by a spacer washer 82 and. nut 83. When theshaft 'i3 rotates' at a certainispeedpthe two weighted portions 8!l (only one of which is shown) are moved outwardly byl centrifugalforaeV against the resistance of springl arms i8 and rub on the inside of cup-like housing` 8|',y thereby limiting the speed of the device.

As shown in` Fig. 9; the'governor shaft is provided witha spiral-groove 'M of the desired' pitch; Whichfmay be rolled* therein or cutas by a milling operation. A preformed spiral of- Wire 16, of asize and shape to snugly t said groove, is threaded onto the groove in the shaft'tc provide the desiredl Worm gear. Fig. 9 shows the' preformed wire 'i5 partly threaded onto the groove 'I4 which extends to the right to provide` a lead thread.` The' inside diameter of the preformed wire spiral 'I6 is preferably slightly less than the lminor or root diameter .ofthe groove, sothat they preformed wire willy be firmly heldin place by friction, once it is threaded in place.

This method of providing the desired wormrgear avoids the comparatively expensive milling or cutting operation in removing the excessive material in the manufacture of the desired worm gear. A,

Refer-ring to'Fig. 10,*the improved dial calling device may be mounted in a telephone desk stand 90, which is provided with the usual opening therein for receiving the rear portion of the calling device. This opening has a turned in ledge portion 92, as indicated, Which engages mount` ing lugs 23 to stop'the inward'movement of the calling device. rFhe turned in ledge portion 92 is provided ywith apertures to receive mounting screws 9|' which are threaded into mountinglugs 2`3v to secure the calling device.

Operation fr l operation or the imprtvd caring device N281, reigss 4; ef and' er oaf insulating salay as? 8) affixedftoan diff-normal spr-ing arid an? i'riftrasrfiituagrf al dans ori impulses "wur nove' bedesc'rib'ed.. Assume thaesfftrainrof iiiipuisrsy The' operatori? may'v place" adinge'r in the` linger hble`= 2- of' theifdalr l` above the digit is' on*` the?4 numeral ring 3;!follo'wed`l by therotationfof the dial in" ac'lock'wis'e4 dir'ection- (Fig. 1)-` untily the finger strikesthe-nger stopft.A` Theiinger'is-ithen@ removedl frorr'r the=l dial allowing. the` diall to? return'v` to its illustrated normal positionlun'der. po'Wer'stored in mainspring 3 As thedial- Iishbrought forward, in af clockwise direction, the mainv shafty Il is thereby turned? againsttheftensionof thelmain'spring 3|. The turningf offthe` mainf shaft turlnsl the main? driv' geary 25, which turns pinion' gear |53` (in a con@ traclo'ckwise direction) asv it isrigidly securedto pulse-cam shaft 6u. The engagementof upper? ratchet pawli 68: in one of? the.. openings? 35;: iii bracket 34, prevents pulse cam"y 69 fronitu'rn'- ing as the dial is broughtY forwardin a'clockwise direction.

During the? forwar'dmovement of thefdial, drivef gear-` 2.5' also carries ratchet 6T (rigidly secured' to pulse-cam shaft 60.): ini al contraclockwisef di-f rection through an angular distance' corresponding.- to' two and-1one-thirdrrevolutionsf which permitsthe' lower ratchet pawlf toslide over 7i marginal notches in ratchet Bl.' Ratchet 6T being* provided with three equally spaced marg'inai notches,` bracket 34 isalsof providedwithtl-ie s'iinilar'ly spaced` openings 35,v one of Wh'ich' iS' engaged? by upper. ratchet pa'wl 68' on!A thevl for;A

ward movement of thediaL-as previously'brouglit out;-

Ther @am disc 21 being." secured? tb the main shaft; rotates with the dial=movingits integrally formedI cam 28 out of'reach offstud-S, therebyv releasing pressure` oni thev offln'orr'riall Springsf l|2=l permitting them to operate. The operation` of the' off-normal springs therebytakes' the shunt? oifthe impulse springs and short circuits the de-vv sired-talking apparatus.- Impulse springs 4|'f and: the upper pair of off-normal springs (Fig. 8)y being intended to be connected ifnirnultiple, as'E previouslystated. i

When the dial isreleasecl (after'lovver pa'WIT-EiV (lig)A 7)' has passed over seven marginal notches-f in-ratchet 6l), the lower pawl |`8ll engages armarg'inalnotch of ratchet'- lilA and spring clutch 6'4 engages wormedr'ive gearA bear-ing 65 which is attached to wor'madrive gear 66. Therefore; during the returnmovemen't of dialg and' the main shaft I7 under the propulsion of main spring' 37|, the dri'vef gear'25` and attach'edcam-disc 2-ll are rotated in a contra'clo'ckwise`l direction; driv'iiig pulse-cam sli-aft Suini a clockwise direction' cor-Y r'esp'ondirig to the seven marg`i`rial A notches* of ratchet 67 and openings 35 of v bracket'fll. Thev velocity of the return movementis controlled'by" the governor (Figs. 2 and I0) whose worin gear? is' rotated by*l worm-driv'e gear 66A on pulse-carni shaft 60. The' pulseecan'i Shaft is' driven by the attached pinion gear 63T, through the? motion' of the-main' drive gear25':

The main drive gear is rotatedt an'ar-igular dis-'-y tance equal to two and' oneLthird revolutions-l Thus; two and one-third revolutions' of the puise--v cam shaft iiwill occur. A lobe of the pulse-calli shaft 9; passes between theI iin-pulse springsall, during each one-third revolution of" the pulsecam' shaftf. The impulse springs Ml' are thu's' rnd-f mentarily separated seven times on the retu'ii''- mov'e"1r'1'en't`-. Ordinaril speed of the return movement is so regulated that the impulses are generated at the rate of about ten per` second, although it may vary from nine to eleven with safety.

The first six separations of impulse springs 4I are effective, but the seventh and nal separation of springs 4l is rendered ineffective by the upper set of off-normal contacts (Fig. 7) which are reclosed following the sixth or next to last separation, when cam portion 28 contacts insulating stud 43 (Figs. 4 and 8) to bring the upper pair of olf-normal contacts into contact, and opening the lower pair of ofi-normal contacts thereby removing the shunt across the talking apparatus.

During the return movement, the upper pawl 68 passes over notches 35 in bracket 34. Mechanical noise is minimized by using a nonmetallic worm-drive gear 65 to drive the worm gear on the governor shaft and by using a nonmetallic washer 82 between governor housing 8| and portion 41 of bracket 34.

As previously brought out, the engagement of arm 30 of cam disc 21 with stop 2li of housing 22 stops the dial in its illustrated normal position. The motion of all parts of the improved dial calling device is thereby arrested.

I claim:

1. In a dial sender, a housing plate having a recess in one side thereof, an operating shaft extending laterally through the recessed portion of said plate and centrally thereof, a dial fixed with said shaft at one side of said plate, a gear fixed with said shaft within the recess of said housing plate, an arm fixed with said gea-r and extending radially from said shaft and passing radially through the gear, and a pair of projections extending inwardly from said housing into the path of said arm to limit the rotary movement of said shaft and dial, one in one direction and the other in the opposite direction.

2. In a dial sender, a housing plate having a recess in one side thereof, an operating shaft extending laterally through the recessed portion of said plate and centrally thereof, a dial fixed with said shaft at one side of said plate, a main gear fixed with said shaft within said recess, a

stop arm fixed with said shaft within the recess of said housing plate, and extending radially from said shaft, a pinion gear operatively associated with the main gear` in the path of the stop arm, and a pair of projections extending inwardly from said housing into the path of said arm to limit the rotary movement of said shaft and dial, one in one direction and the other in the opposite direction.

3. In a dial calling device, a housing plate, a bearing bracket fixed thereto, an operating shaft, one end of said shaft being rotatably mounted in said housing plate and the other end extending through said bracket, an actuating spring retaining member mounted about said shaft adjacent to said bracket, Said spring retaining member having a hub portion extending rotatably through said bracket, said hub portion having a central bore rotatably receiving the end of said shaft which extends through said bracket, an operating spring surrounding said shaft, means for joining one end of said spring to said retaining member and means connecting the other end of said spring with said shaft, and a U-shaped holding member straddling said bracket, the inwardly directed legs thereof being capable of adjustment into a position to engage said retaining member to prevent reverse rotation thereof.

In a dial calling device, a housing plate, a

8. bearing bracket fixed thereto, an operating shaft, one end of said shaft being rotatably mounted in said housing plate and the other end extending through said bracket, an actuating spring retaining member mounted about said shaft adjacent to said bracket, said spring retaining member having a hub portion extending rotatably through said bracket, said hub portion having a central bore rotatably receiving the end of said shaft which extends through said bracket, an operating spring surrounding said shaft, means for joining one end of said spring to said retaining member and means connecting the other end of said spring with said shaft, means on said hub to assist in the rotation thereof to increase the tension of said spring, and a U-shaped holding mem.. ber straddling said bracket, the inwardly directed legs thereof being capable of adjustment into a position to engage said retaining member to prevent reverse rotation thereof.

5. In a dial calling device, a housing plate, a bearing bracket fixed thereto, an operating shaft, one end of said shaft being rotatably mounted in said housing plate and the other end extending through said bracket, an actuating spring retaining member mounted about said shaft adjacent to said bracket, said spring retaining member having a hub portion extending rotatably through said bracket, said hub portion having a central bore rotatably receiving the end of said shaft which extends through said bracket, an operating spring surrounding said shaft, means for joining one end of said spring to said retaining member and means connecting the other end of said spring with said shaft, means on said hub to assist in the rotation thereof to vary the tension of said spring, and a U-shaped holding member straddling said bracket, the inwardly directed legs thereof being capable of adjustment into a position to engage said retaining member to retain it in adjusted position.

6. In combination, a dial sender including a rotatable dial having a central recess in the exposed face thereof, a card holder retaining spring having diametrically opposed locking ends and extending transversely of said recess and means for fixing said spring at a central portion thereof with said dial within the recess thereof, each locking end of said retaining spring being formed at its lateral edges with outwardly extending cam surfaces and centrally with an outwardly arched retaining tab receiving recess, and a card holder having an inwardly extending flange arranged within said recess and engaging the side wall thereof for guiding said holder to the opposed locking ends of said retaining spring and for preventing edgewise movement therefrom, said flange being provided at the edge thereof with inwardly extending retaining tabs each adapted, upon rotary movement of said holder to pass under a cam surface and come to rest in a tab receiving recess.

RICHARD P. ARTHUR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,556,906 Blessing Oct. 13, 1925 1,642,822 Obergfell Sept. 20, 1927 1,676,392 Ide July 10, 1928 1,949,447 Beck Mar. 6, 1934 2,204,181 Gleason June 11, 1940 2,346,906 Cheney Apr. 18, 1944 

